A boxing trainer, who once shared screen space with iconic football pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, has been sentenced to a 17-year prison term. Michael McNally's world came crashing down after he was found guilty of several drug-related charges.
In February 2023, during the filming of an Overlap episode at Liverpool's Rotunda ABC, McNally had the opportunity to interact with Neville and Carragher. The main podcast hosts were touring their hometowns at the time. When it was Carragher's turn, he along with Neville revisited their past in the Bootle area of Merseyside.
The episode started off on a nostalgic note as Carragher mentioned his regular training sessions at that particular gym. The video has since amassed over 3.2 million views on YouTube but for McNally, this memory is now overshadowed by his recent conviction.
From coaching champions to criminal charges
McNally is known in boxing circles for coaching Tony Bellew during his amateur days before Bellew went on to become a world champion. However, his belief that using encrypted EncroChat mobile network - popular among criminals - would shield him from law enforcement proved misguided.
His downfall began when international law enforcement infiltrated EncroChat in 2020 and passed millions of messages onto UK police. Among these messages were some from "LankyPanda", later traced back to McNally when he shared photos of police responding to a car crash outside his Bootle residence.
Further evidence against him surfaced when it was revealed that he used a "white Kangoo van" with "a 66 plate" for drug deliveries; this vehicle was later discovered in his garden. When authorities raided his property in May they found not only £23k cash but also a semi-automatic pistol with ammunition in the loft. McNally subsequently pleaded guilty to a string of serious offences, including conspiracy to transfer criminal property, possession of a prohibited firearm, and conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. McNally's sentencing took place at Liverpool crown court on November 7. Jon Hughes from the National Crime Agency hailed this as a significant victory stating: “This operation has successfully taken a drug supplier out of the community, a dangerous weapon off the streets and cash out of the hands of criminals.”
The case serves as an important reminder that no one is above law enforcement's reach - not even those who once rubbed shoulders with sports icons.
